Politics: Israel stops UN convoy – suspected suspects on board

The Israeli army says it has stopped a UN vehicle convoy in the north of the Gaza Strip. The reason for this was “intelligence information that there were several Palestinian suspects in the convoy,” the military said. The convoy was stopped to question the suspects. The vehicles were transporting UN employees, it said. The incident is still ongoing.

The Israeli television channel Kan reported that two suspected Palestinians had entered the convoy and barricaded themselves in one of the vehicles. Israeli soldiers had fired warning shots.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told the German Press Agency: “At this point in time, I can only say that we are aware of an ongoing incident involving UN personnel and vehicles. We are working to establish the facts. The safety of our colleagues is our top priority.”

The relationship between Israel and the United Nations is considered to be particularly tense in the wake of the war. Israeli representatives have repeatedly accused employees of the United Nations Palestine Relief and Works Agency of being terrorists.

According to the UN, a UN humanitarian vehicle in a convoy was shot at by Israeli soldiers last month. The army announced an investigation into the allegations.

SDA